Term 4 Week 7

Junior Swimming Carnival 

The Junior Swimming Carnival for Prep – Year 3 students will be held on the Monday of week 10 the 2nd of December at the Fairholme pool.  I want to thank all the parents that have nominated their students into events on the day and contacted me regarding any questions around nominating.  If you have not already done so, please ensure you have given permission for your student to attend via the parent portal even if they are not swimming on the day.  A reminder also that students need to be able to change out of their swimmers into their uniform independently, please work on this if your student can’t do this. Further information regarding the schedule for the day will be sent out via the parent portal at the end of week 8 in preparation for our carnival in week 10. 

Queensland Primary All School Carnival 

On the 2nd and 3rd of November our six school touch football teams competed at the Queensland Primary All Schools carnival held in Redlands.  These teams all did extremely well competing against schools from all over Queensland on the weekend.  The students that attended made Mater Dei proud by the way they went about playing their games and showing great sportsmanship win or lose.  I wanted to say a big thanks to all the parents that made this opportunity possible for their students by giving up their time to take them away for the weekend.  Thanks again go to all the coaches – Aleisha Wilson, Romy Wilson, Sophie Head, Jodie May and Jake Laing.  Congratulations to all students who attended! 

Term 4 Week 5

Junior Swimming Carnival 

The Junior Swimming Carnival for Prep – Year 3 students will be held on the Monday of week 10 the 2nd of December at the Fairholme pool.  Nominations are due by Monday 4th of November to your child's classroom teacher.  If you have not already returned your nomination form can this please be returned asap.  Even if your student will not be swimming on the day, can you please return the form stating this or email me directly at Danielle.King@twb.catholic.edu.au Permission to attend the carnival will be sent out via the parent portal over the next week, please ensure you give permission for your child to attend, even if they are not swimming. 

Senior Swimming Carnival 2025 (students born in 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016 only) 

This carnival will be held at Milne Bay on Friday 31st of January (week 1) next year. Nomination forms will be sent home next week with your students to complete and return to their class teacher by Friday 29th of November. 

Please remember the following notes when nominating:  

• Students can swim in either a 50m or 25m event in each stroke – up to 4 events in total. A combination of 25m and 50m events across the strokes is fine. E.g. 50m Freestyle, 25m Breaststroke, 50m Backstroke and 25m Butterfly. 
• Students who wish to be considered for age champion or selected in the school team must swim in the championship 50m events in each stroke (sometimes students in the regular 50m events with times that meet the selection criteria will also be selected).  
• Students currently in Year 2 born in 2016 only need to nominate if they are competent in completing their chosen event, students not swimming will not attend the carnival in 2025.  Please still complete the relevant section of the nomination form if your student is not swimming so that this can be recorded for supervising purposes at school. 

Please contact me danielle.king@twb.catholic.edu.au if you have any questions regarding this nomination process. 

Queensland Primary All School Carnival 

This weekend we will have six teams competing at the Redlands touch grounds in the Queensland Primary All Schools Carnival.  This is a great opportunity for these students to attend a large carnival playing against schools from all over Queensland – not just Toowoomba.  They have been training very hard for this competition improving on their confidence and skills in the game of touch football.  All teams have been showing great enthusiasm and team spirit at our trainings and we wish them the best of luck this weekend at the carnival! 

Term 4 Week 3

Junior Swimming Carnival 

The Junior Swimming Carnival for Prep – Year 3 students will be held on the Monday of week 10 the 2nd of December at the Fairholme pool.  An information note about the carnival and how to nominate your student for events will be handed out to students in week 2.  Please ensure you read the note carefully and complete the nomination section at the bottom of the note.  This nomination section is to be cut off and returned to your students’ classroom teacher no later than Monday 4th of November.  Please look out for the parent portal activity that will come out in the coming weeks to give permission for your student to attend. Permission still needs to be given if your student is not swimming on the day. 

Junior Swimming Carnival Swimming Assistants

Every year I put the call out for older siblings that have finished school already for the year that would like to come back to assist at our junior swimming carnival.  These students will join us for the day at the carnival and assist in the pool with our younger students and any students that don't feel 100% confident to be in the pool without help.  Can you please let me know these names before the carnival so that I can put this into my planning.  Thanks in advance.

SWQ Primary All Schools Touch Carnival  

Last Sunday a number of Year 5 & 6 students competed in the SWQ All Schools Touch Competition at Kearney Springs.  All the teams that competed played their hearts out showing fantastic skill and perseverance during their games! These students should be extremely proud of their efforts throughout the day.  Many thanks to Aleisha Wilson, Romy Wilson and Sophie Head for coaching the teams, both before and at the carnival.  Thanks also to the parents who attended the carnival to support their students on the day. These students along with our junior teams will travel to Redlands for the Queensland Primary All Schools Touch Carnival on 3 – 5 November, we wish them the best of luck at their next competition! 

Darling Downs Cricket

Congratulations to Layla McLoughlin, Lillian Brown, Gemma Montgomery and Imogen Slader for their selection in the Darling Downs Girls Cricket team that were competing this week.  A further congratulations to Gemma for her selection in the Queensland team.  What an achievement, well done girls.

Term 4 Week 1

Sport Trophies  

Please return all senior and junior swimming trophies and any other trophies held by current year 6 students from the athletics and cross country carnivals by the end of week Two (Friday 11th of October). 

Aussie Hoops  

Pop Dickerson from Aussie Hoops will again be conducting basketball clinics during our PE classes this week for students in years 1 - 6. The Aussie Hoops program will again be run this term, please look out for the flyer that will come home when students complete their lesson with coach Pop. 

Touch Football 

Each year our year 5 and 6 students as part of our Mater Dei All Schools Touch Football teams compete at the Southwest Queensland Primary All Schools Carnival. This year we will have three teams competing next Sunday, 13th of October at Kearney’s Springs.  We wish all these students' good luck at this carnival. 

Junior Swimming Carnival 

The Junior Swimming Carnival for Prep – Year 3 students will be held on the Monday of week 10 the 2nd of December at the Fairholme pool.  An information note about the carnival and how to nominate your student for events will be handed out to students in week 2.  Please ensure you read the note carefully and complete the nomination section at the bottom of the note.  This nomination section is to be cut off and returned to your students’ classroom teacher no later than Monday 4th of November.  Please look out for the parent portal activity that will come out in the coming weeks to give permission for your student to attend. Permission still needs to be given if your student is not swimming on the day. 

Learn to Orienteer 

Please find attached a flyer about an upcoming learn to orienteer event.  Students in years 5 and 6 completed a unit on orienteering last year and year 4 are starting orienteering this term. 

Term 3 Week 9

Year 4 Touch Football Gala Day 

Students in Year 4 will be attending the Catholic Schools Touch Football Gala Day next Tuesday 10th of September, please ensure that you have given permission for this event via the Parent Portal.  Students will be transported to and from the grounds via bus, please ensure students have their hats, sunscreen, plenty of water and food for the day. 

Reminder: There will be no tuckshop on this day for year 4 students as they will not be present at school for the break times. 

Year 5 & 6 Friday Interschool Sport 

Congratulations to all students involved in the Friday interschool sport program this term.  All students have enjoyed their time playing against other schools and learning some new sporting skills. 

Year 2 Swimming Assessment 

Swimming is a major component of our PE Curriculum in Year 3. In preparation for next year, all students in Year 2 normally would be assessed in term 4, however, as our swimming program now starts later in the year this will now occur when they are in year 3. 

Swimming Trophies 

If your student received a swimming trophy at the junior swimming carnival in Term 4 2023 or at the senior swimming carnival in Term 1 of 2024, can these please be returned to the office or to Miss King as soon as possible.  Any students in Year 6 that also have trophies from the cross country, 800m or the athletics carnivals can these also be returned. 

Term 3 Week 7

Year 4 Touch Football Gala Day 

The students from Year 4 will be competing in the Catholic Schools Touch Football Gala Day to be played at Kearney's Spring Touch Football Grounds, cnr Ruthven & Spring Sts on Tuesday 10th of September. Further information will be sent via the Parent Portal in week 8, please ensure you give permission on there for your student to attend.  If you are available to assist with a team on the day, your help would be greatly appreciated.  Please contact your class teacher or email me on Danielle.King@twb.catholic.edu.au  

Swans Schools Cup 

Congratulations to our boys and girls touch teams who competed in the Swans Schools Cup over the last 6 weeks.  Both teams played in the finals on Monday this week with the girls coming runners up and 2nd overall for the competition and the boys won their 3 v 4 play off finishing 3rd overall in their competition.  These students will continue their training working towards our next competition in October. 

Term 3 Week 5

Range Zone Athletics 

We had a large number of students attend the Range Zone Athletics on Monday 5th of August at O’Quinn Street Oval.  The students should be commended on their behaviour and their show of sportsmanship throughout the day.  It was great to see the students cheering on fellow peers when they were competing and congratulating them on their return.  Congratulations to all of the students that competed!  Good luck to the following students who were selected to be part of the Range Zone team and compete for a place in the DD Athletics team next week: Lillian Brown, Edward MacManus, Emily Longmire, Bailey Duggan, Zara Robertson and Reggie Mansfield. We wish these students good luck at their next carnival. 

Visiting Coaches

This term we have had a number of visiting coaches come to Mater Dei and run sessions with our students.  The students involved have learnt new skills and had a great time whilst doing it. All students from Prep to Year 6 were visited by the AFL Auskick coaches, the years 5 students were visited by a Futsal instructor and the years 4 - 6 students participated in touch football sessions with a development officer from Queensland Touch.  Next week students in years 1, 2 and 5 will be participating in Aussie Tee-ball sessions.  We thank all these coaches who gave up time to come and run these sessions, the students have greatly appreciated and enjoyed the lessons. 

Term 3 Week 3

Friday Interschool Sport

Years 5 & 6 will start their sports next Friday, once I get draws from the convenors of these sports I will pass this onto parents. Please make sure your students has permission via the parent portal and they have any required safety equipment listed in the information provided. 

Year 3 Swimming 

Remember to ensure your child’s clothing (underwear and socks included) are labelled with their name to ensure if any clothing is misplaced it can be returned to its home.   

Term 3 Week 1

Catholic Athletics 

Congratulations to all of the students who attended the Catholic Athletics carnival on Friday the 14th of July.  All students competed extremely well and showed everyone the Mater Dei spirit. 

AFL Auskick 

During week 1 and 2 this term all students from Prep – Year 6 will participate in AFL Auskick sessions during their allocated PE time.  These sessions are always fun and get the students excited for the Auskick program that will be run after schools on Wednesday afternoons.  Students will be given a flyer after their session which will have information about how to register and sign up. 

Representative Sport 

Congratulations to the boys that competed at the DD Rugby League over the holidays, I have been told that they participated really well during their games at the state carnival. Congratulations also go to all of our Mater Dei students that went away over the holidays for the Junior State Cup carnival for touch football, I have head great reports from the students that attended. 

Term 2 Week 9

Athletics Carnival 

Thanks to the many spectators who joined the students from Prep to Year 6 on the oval on Friday 14th of June as they ran, jumped and threw against their peers in the annual athletics carnival. Special thanks to the parents that organised the bake sale and the coffee van that were available for all to utilise on the day. Congratulations to the age champions for the day, please see below the list of age champions from the carnival.  

Representative sport 

Congratulations to Eddie MacManus, Archer Ehrlich and Lewis Mackie for being selected in the DD Rugby Union team to compete at the State Championships in July.  We wish them the best of luck at this carnival. 

Congratulations to Gemma Montgomery who recently competed at the State Championships for touch football in Rockhampton as part of the DD team.  The DD team came fourth in the competition which is a fantastic achievement for herself and her peers in the team. 

If your student has been selected into representative teams or is excelling in sport outside of school, I would love to hear about it and acknowledge these efforts.  Please pass on any of these achievements to me via email. 

Term 2 Week 7

Athletics Carnival 

The Mater Dei Athletics carnival will be held on Friday the 14th of June on our school oval.  All students from Prep to Year 6 will be participating in this carnival.  Students from Prep to under 9 (students born 2019 – 2016) will participate in a tabloids program made up of modified athletics activities along with their sprint event. These students will have morning tea and lunch at the same time as usual, with their events concluding before lunch.  Students 9 years and older will compete in their field events, 100m sprint and 200m race. Information about the procedures for the day, the map of the event locations and the schedule was sent via the parent portal earlier this week. 

Year 3 Swimming 

The year 3 swimming program will be starting in week 1 of term 3, these lessons will occur on a Thursday as per their usual PE day.  Further detailed information about the times the classes will swim and what needs to be brought for swimming lessons will be sent out before the end of term. 

Term 2 Week 5

Term 2 Week 3

Cross Country  

30 students competed in the Range Zone Cross Country Trials at Kearneys Spring on Friday 28th of April. It was pleasing to see the team spirit and persistence of the students that competed. Congratulations to Grace Bradshaw and Lacey James who were selected to attend the DD trials. 

Representative Sport 

We have had a number of students compete in different levels of representative sport for Toowoomba, we congratulate the following students for their outstanding achievements in their respective sports.  If your student is selected into representative teams from school trials, please contact me with those details, as we love to acknowledge and celebrate these achievements as team lists are not often passed onto the school after selection. 

• Hunter Dowling, Bailey Duggan and Oscar Rickuss (Rugby League): participated in the DD carnival and were selected to attend the state championships held over the June. 
• Gemma Montgomery (Touch Football): was selected to be part of the DD team that will participate in the State Championships in June. 
• Everett Davenport (Golf): was selected to be part of the DD team and will participate in the state championships at the end of May. 

Term 2 Week 1

Athletics Trophies 

If you currently have an athletics trophy from our carnival in 2023 at home, can you please return this by the end of week 2 (26th of April). 

Range Cross Country 

Good luck to our Mater Dei team heading to the Range Zone Cross Country carnival on Friday 26th of April at Kearney’s Spring. 

Athletics Carnival 

Make sure you add our Athletics Carnival date – Friday 14th of June to your calendars.  We are looking forward to a great day of athletics to culminate our learning of the different athletics skills in PE lessons this term. Further information about the format of the day and the schedule will be released closer to the carnival date.  

Discus Consent forms (year 3 and any new students in year 4 - 6) 

Shortly you will receive a discus consent form to complete and return to your classroom teacher by Friday 9th of May.  This is a workplace health and safety requirement due to discus being a high-risk sport, without this consent students will be unable to participate in the discus lessons planned and participate in discus at the athletics carnival. 

Rugby Union 

I love it when I hear about our students' sporting achievement outside of school and would like to congratulate a number of students that I have been informed participated in The Armidale School Rugby Union Carnival last weekend.  Eddie MacManus, Cooper Philp, Lewis Mackie, Charlie Bradshaw and Archer Ehrlich all participated at this carnival with their local teams and did extremely well playing large schools such as Scots College Sydney, Nudgee and Padua College.  Congratulations boys and keep up your great work in this area. 

It is great to hear what our students are achieving in the different sporting arenas, if your student is excelling in a sport outside of school, I would love to hear about it and to congratulate them for their efforts.  Please feel free to email me at Danielle.King@twb.catholic.edu.au  

Term 1 Week 9

Cross Country  

Congratulations to all of the students involved in our cross country carnival last Friday, it was a privilege to witness the many displays of great sportsmanship and determination as the students competed over the 1, 2 & 3km distances. Congratulations to the following students who were awarded age champion: Charles Angus, Lucy Rickuss, James Primus, Lacey James, Bailey Duggan, Emily Longmire, Jake Robertson, Adelaide Wilson and Archer Pennell was also awarded the Encouragement Trophy. The winning house for the day was McDonnell, Congratulations! Charles Angus was our only record breaker for the day, great work! Special thanks to the parents who willingly gave their time to ‘man’ a checkpoint, we can’t conduct this carnival without your very kind assistance. 

Athletics Trophies 

If you currently have an athletics trophy from our carnival in 2023 at home, can you please start sending these back into school in preparation for our carnival next term.  I need all trophies returned by the end of week 1 next term. 

T-Ball Gala Day 

Next Tuesday the 26th of March our Year 4 students will be travelling out to Kearney’s Springs to participate in the Catholic Schools T-Ball Gala Day.  Information about the day has already been sent out via the parent portal.  Please ensure you have read this information and you have given permission for your student to attend.  We are looking forward to a great day of T-Ball next week! 

Term 1 Week 7

Darling Downs Swimming Championships  

Last week a number of our students competed for Range Zone at the Darling Downs Swimming Championships in Gatton. Our swimmers enjoyed the experience and produced some great results. Congratulations to Jake Robertson and Zara Robertson who were selected in the DD team to compete at the State Titles in Brisbane. Good luck!  

Fun Run/800m  

The Fun Run/800m carnival (prep to year 6 students) will be held on the school oval on Friday 22nd March.  Please see the attached note for the schedule of the morning's events. 

Cross Country 

The Cross Country Carnival (9-12 years) will be held next Friday 15th March at Queen’s Park. A map of the running track will be sent via the parent portal and can be seen below, we will be using the same track as last year.  Thanks to all the parents that have already given permission for their student to attend this carnival, if you have not done so please complete this task no later than Wednesday 13th of March.  Students not intending on running at the carnival still require permission to leave the school grounds to walk to Queen’s Park. 

We are still looking for parent volunteers to assist with the Cross Country.  If you are able to spare a little time that day please email me danielle.king@twb.catholic.edu.au 

Year 4 T-Ball Gala Day 

The Year 4 students will be attending the Catholic Schools T-Ball Gala Day on Tuesday 26th March to participate in round robin games against other Catholic schools in our diocese.  This is a great opportunity for our students to learn a new sporting skill and interact with students from around our diocese.  Information regarding this carnival was sent out this week via the parent portal – please ensure you have given consent for your student to attend and read the information note. 

We are still looking for some parent volunteers to help assist on the day, if you are available please contact me via email so I can arrange this. 

Term 1 Week 5

Swimming  

Congratulations to the students who represented Mater Dei at the Range Zone swimming carnival so successfully. The following students gained selection in the Range team to compete at the Darling Downs Trials in Gatton on Wednesday 28th of Feb. We wish you all the best of luck.  

• Penny Egan 
• Cooper Howse 
• Eden Cubby 
• Poppy Johnston 
• Adelaide Wilson 
• John MacManus 
• Zara Robertson 
• Jake Robertson 

Cross Country 

The Cross Country (for 9-12 year old students) will be held on Friday 15th March at Queen’s Park. A map of the running track and further information about the carnival will be sent out closer to the date. A Sentral activity to grant permission for your students to attend the carnival and leave the school grounds will be pushed out next week for you to complete.  We still require permission for your student to attend even if they will not be running on the day. If you can assist with the cross country on the 15th of March, could you please email me directly on Danielle.King@twb.catholic.edu.au 

Fun Run/800m  

The Fun Run/800m carnival (prep to year 6 students) will be held on the school oval on Friday 22nd March.  More information and the schedule for the day will be sent out closer to the date. 

Term 1 Week 3

Communication  

All information regarding sport at both Mater Dei & Toowoomba Zone levels will be distributed to the parent body via the Parent Portal and our Latest News.  

Swimming 

Congratulations to all the students who attended and competed at our senior swimming carnival in week 2.  It was a great day with lots of fantastic swimming and team spirit being shown.  Thanks to all the parents that attended on the day, it is always great to see you supporting your students.  Congratulations to the students listed below that were awarded age champions on the day.  Congratulations also to our record breakers on the day – Jake Robertson 12 year old freestyle and butterfly, Zara Robertson 10 year old butterfly and Poppy Johnston 9 year old backstroke.  Good luck to our selected students representing Mater Dei at the Catholic School Swimming Carnival on February 9th and the Range Zone Swimming Carnival on February 12th. 

2024 Term 1 Week 1 - Sport

Communication  

All information regarding sport at both Mater Dei & Toowoomba Zone levels will be distributed to the parent body via email or the Parent Portal. Please monitor these regularly, particularly when there are upcoming carnivals. Please find attached the 2024 sport save the date. 

Cross Country Trophies 

If your student has one of our cross country trophies from 2023, can you please send them back to school before the end of week 3. 

Mater Dei Swimming Carnival  

The sporting year kicks off next Tuesday 30th of January with the swimming carnival at Milne Bay for students born 2012 – 2015. All students from years 4 – 6 will attend the carnival for the day and the year 3 students born in 2015 who are swimming will also attend. The final program will be sent via the Parent Portal on Monday afternoon. Please remember that this is a school day and students should remain at the carnival for the day, students will be bussed to and from school. There should be no tuckshop orders made for students attending the carnival on the day. Make sure that you have given permission via the parent portal for your student to attend (even if they are not swimming). 

Representative Sport  

Students born 2012, 2013 & 2014 are eligible to trial for Toowoomba Zone teams to attend Darling Downs trials. This is generally for team sports with a few exceptions (e.g. golf, orienteering). The application form and further information was sent via the parent portal earlier this week. You can complete your student's nomination either via the Microsoft Teams form (link below), print at home and return the nominations form or request a hard copy to be sent home with your student.  These nominations are to be returned no later than the end of week 3. Please read the age and selection criteria carefully before nominating your child.  

Orienteering 

In term 4 in 2023, our year 4 and 5 students tried a new sport through our PE lessons, which was orienteering.  Our students had a great time experiencing a new sport that many of them had never heard of before.  Please see the attached flyer about some upcoming introductory sessions to orienteering that your students may be interested in attending. 

Week 9 Sport

Junior Swimming Carnival

On Monday 29^th November, Prep to Year 3 participated in the Junior Swimming Carnival.

Well done to all the students for all their efforts and congratulations to all the Age Champions for 2023. What an exciting time for two students who broke records; Iyla Cubby broke the freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke and butterfly records for 7 year girls and Poppy Johnston broke the butterfly record for 8 year girls. These students should be very proud of their achievements.

2024 Sport Save the dates

Please see below the dates for our sporting events in 2024. I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday period with their family and look forward to starting a new year off with our first event – the senior swimming carnival on the 30^th of January.

2024 Year 3 Swimming Lessons

For those students going into year 3 in 2024 their swimming lessons which run during their PE time at school next year won't start until the beginning of term 3. More information regarding swimming will come out next year closer to the time.